MEA Awards 2017: Farshad Mehdizadeh of FMZD wins Architect of the Year

Born in Isfahan in 1981, Mehdizadeh studied at Azad University before furthering his design experience at Lab Architecture Studio in Melbourne and the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. In 2012 Farshad returned to Iran to establish his own firm, FMZD, in Tehran.

He has won several national and international awards, namely, the Memar Award in 2011, the World Architecture Festival Award in 2014 and the Architizer Jury Award in 2016 and 2017.

The judges felt his portfolio demonstrated “a dedication to the research and exploration of new typologies and original design solutions in a continuous analogical discourse with the genius loci and the vernacular tradition.”

When receiving the award, Mehdizadeh noted his culture as a source of inspiration and education. Traditional Iranian architecture, he said, informs his design work.

“I’m following my geography,” he said. “I’m following Iran and the Middle East. I believe that if we want to be original then we need to follow our culture. This is what I try to do all the time.”

He added, “I think that the Middle East Architect Awards is very nice platform that introduces up-and-coming architects from the region to the rest of the Middle East and the world at large. It’s such a nice event to participate in and to show your projects.”

Highly commended for a body of work that highlights “sustainability, aesthetics and functionality in equal measure” went to Benjamin Piper of Killa Design.

The award was presented by Intisar Adra, technical business development manager from Alucopanel.